First (2nd Generation Marked Heart #1)

by M. Sembera

  First

  A 2nd Generation Marked Heart Novel

  M. Sembera

  Contents

  First

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

  Palmer

  2nd Generation MH

  Marked Heart Series

  About the Author

  Copyright 2016 © M. Sembera

  Kindle Edition

  Edited by Lucii Grubb

  Cover Design Copyright 2016

  Cover Handmademedia/Belchonoksun25

  Images/Depositphoto

  Published by

  Broken Bird Media

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  For more information contact:

  M.Sembera@brokenbirdmedia.com

  First is a work of fiction. All names, Characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination.

  Place name and any resemblance to events or actual persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  The Wren and Celtic Heart logo is an original piece of art created specifically for M. Sembera.

  All Rights reserved by Broken Bird Media.

  Created with Vellum

  First

  Augustus Carrick Caffrey V

  Theme Song

  Woman Woman

  AWOLNATION

  Augustus Carrick Caffrey V, that's what they named me. First, that's what they call me. Now, you might be wondering, being the fifth from a line of proud Irishmen, why I'm known by first. Well, I'm the first Augustus, in our family, to grace this world with blonde hair, not red. First born out of a set of twins, Wren, my sister, was born twenty minutes after. She's always been the stubborn one, takes after our dad. I was the first to talk and walk between us. I'm also the first out all five Augustus Caffrey's to go to college and have no plans to run the family's bar. That's really more my sister's thing, always has been. Told you, she takes after our dad. Anyway, the truth of it is, my cousin, Tansy, is the one who called me First, first and it stuck.

  I sometimes wish she hadn't been the one to get it started. I can't help but think of her every time someone says my name. First cousins, only a few months apart, we grew up close. Our moms are sisters by adoption and they couldn't be more opposite from each other. While my mom is insanely in love with my dad, her mom is, last I heard, working on husband number seven. Don't get me wrong, my mom can get crazy when the situation calls for it, but Aunt Silvia is unstable in every aspect of her life. Tansy mostly stayed with our grandparents but spent every summer with us. She and Wren never really got along, because my sister is mean as hell and has been for as long as I can remember. We bonded over books and joined forces against my sister's torments as often as possible. We were close, until we got a little too curious with each other one summer night and she ended up going to live with her dad in Michigan.

  Because, coincidentally, the girl who gave me my name, was also my first.

  Chapter One

  Memories of guilt, a moment of hesitation, and a hint of anticipation, hit me all at once as I pulled up to my aunt and uncle's farmhouse. I was planning on working through the summer, like the last two, at Belton's. That was before my cousin Palmer called and said she was back.

  The second I stepped onto the porch, a sense of home settled over me. I could smell food from inside; cooking. The roar of voices, full of laughter, put a smile on my face before I opened the door.

  "First!" my mom shouted as I walked in.

  It was good to see her. Her shoulder length, blonde hair was a shade darker than I remember it being but the way she always curled the corner of her mouth into a wide smile was exactly the same.

  Dad's voice followed hers, questioning, "Damn, boy, what are they feedin' you up there?"

  "I got moved to the loading dock," I replied, noticing how much white was taking over the red in my dad’s beard.

  Mom hugged me tight then patted my shoulder, noting, "My baby looks like a man now."

  "'Bout time," my sister teased.

  I was never scrawny; I take after my dad there. I may not have gotten the red hair but I was naturally stocky just like him. Of course, lifting fifty pound bags of rice every afternoon, five days a week, for the last three months had added a good thirty-five pounds of muscle since the last time I was home.

  Reaching out to shake my dad's hand, I looked over at my sister, taunting, "Ah, finally somethin' you were first at."

  While my dad gave me his, ‘don't pick on your sister scowl’, the smirk on my mom's face showed her approval of my comeback.

  That's how I grew up. We weren't exactly a house divided but dad always favored my sister, Wren. He loves us both, there's no doubt about that, they just had a lot more in common, that's all.

  My Aunt Liv and Uncle Braden were laughing at my sister and I as they stepped up to welcome me home. As far back as I can remember, they were a couple that never seemed to match each other. Uncle Braden was always pretty laid back and even though he had a few tattoos, he appeared fairly clean cut. Aunt Liv, on the other hand, had full sleeve tattoos on both arms, hair that had been just about every color you can imagine over the years, currently teal, and she was loud. She owned a tattoo parlor and he made furniture for a living. I asked my dad once about how they ended up together. His only explanation was, ‘somethings can’t be explained and that’s how you know they’re meant to be’.

  I was just about to ask my Aunt Liv if there were any new editions to her library when the door opened behind us.

  "Finally," Aunt Liv blurted as my cousin Palmer stepped in.

  Palmer was an inch shy of being six foot, which happen to be the only thing I had the advantage over him on. He was a year older, had a bigger build, tattoos and was in a band. Growing up, there wasn't a girl in town that didn't have a crush on him.

  Palmer ran his hand through the front of his strawberry-blonde hair and flashed a smile from his matching beard as he defended his tardiness. "What? I had to pick up Tansy and Joie."

  "You're gonna be late for your own funeral."

  Palmer flashed another wide smile before saying, "Dad, I think mom just threatened me."

  Uncle Braden laughed. "You're lucky that's all she's doing."

  I started to laugh too as I turned to face Palmer.

  A quick fist bump was all the greeting necessary between us before he stepped to the side. That's when I saw her. She couldn't have been more than five-two. We used to be about the same height. It was odd of me to dwell on something like that but it was easier than admitting that was the only thing that hadn't changed about Tansy. Sunglasses held her shoulder length brown hair out of her face. Her hazel eyes were emphasized by the makeup she was wearing and damn, her body. I don't remember her looking like that.

  I was caught somewhere between a memory and reality. Standing there, staring at her until she raised her eyebrows at me, gave me a head nod and
continued into the house.

  Joie followed her, elbowing me as she passed, saying, "Sup, First."

  My eyes followed Tansy as she made her way into the kitchen, that was until I heard my dad clear his throat at me.

  Trying to play it off, I looked at Palmer and blurted, "That's Joie?"

  "Don't even think about it," he warned, instantly stone faced.

  Our parents shook their heads at us as they walked back to the kitchen.

  No one messed with Joie, including Palmer. She was younger than us and the daughter of my uncle Braden's best friend when he was growing up. Palmer always looked out for her and protected her like an older brother would when we were kids. Now that she was over eighteen, and had traded in her braces and ratty blonde ponytail for a nice set of curves and platinum hair dye, he definitely had his work cut out for him.

  Throwing him a little smirk, I motioned for him to step out on the porch with me.

  As soon as the door shut behind us, I barked, "What the hell?"

  "What?"

  "You could have warned me."

  "Oh, you mean about Tansy growing up fine as hell?"

  Narrowing my eyes at him, I griped, "It would have been nice."

  "And miss the look on your face? Nah, that was priceless."

  I'm not sure if I was more pissed that he thought it was funny or that he noticed how good she looked.

  "You know what's priceless? Your mom's ass."

  Shoving me a little he laughed. "Aint got nothin' on your mom's sexy ass legs."

  I shoved him back before walking over to a round wooden table on the porch.

  I know what you're probably thinking but our dads are brothers so there's no real harm noticing how well your aunt fills out a pair of jeans and then using it to taunt your cousin. We're guys, okay? It's really all in good fun though. Palmer and I both know the struggle of having a mom that every damn man on the planet notices.

  We both pulled out a chair and sat down as the front door opened.

  "You comin' tonight?" Joie asked as Wren and Tansy followed her out onto the porch.

  I looked over at Palmer. "Pasture party at the crossway," he shared before Joie added, "I've got a sick drum solo in the second set."

  "Who all's goin'?" I asked, noticing Tansy looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

  "I'll be at the bar but Roe said he was gonna ride out there with y'all," Wren informed.

  Our cousin, Roe, short for Monroe, although I can’t recall anyone ever using his whole first name, belonged to my Aunt Penny and Uncle Seth. Aunt Penny is my dad’s sister and the absolute sweetest woman on earth. My Uncle Seth is kind of quiet to be part of our family but he’s a cool guy. They had an older son, William, but when Roe was ten our Grandma Sarah was driving him and Will home from little league practice and had a stroke. The car went into oncoming traffic and Roe was the only survivor. It hit my entire family hard. Roe quit talking for a whole year and when he finally started again, he had an awful speech impediment. Palmer and Will were like best friends, did everything together, in hind sight, I think he was sad over losing his best friend and developed some sort of a grudge against Roe. They never got along and as we got older, even though Roe and Joie hung out a lot because they were the same age, things never got better between them.

  Palmer made a face, griping, "Why can't he drive like a normal person? There's not room."

  Wren snapped, "Don't be a dick," as I assured, "I'm in. He can ride with me."

  He shrugged us both off and leaned back in his chair.

  Part of me wanted to ignore Tansy, pretend that she wasn't even there while my other half, let's just say, wasn't thinking straight.

  "How's college going?" she asked, making the first part impossible.

  "It's alright."

  "I can't get over how tall you are," she said with a slight giggle.

  Without sharing what I couldn't get over, I replied, "Yea, you look different too."

  "I didn't say you looked different." There was a certain tone in her voice as she continued, "You look exactly the same, just taller."

  Was that meant to be an insult? It felt like it.

  Palmer cut into our conversation, saying, "You need to let me give you some ink while you’re down. Dirty up some of that pretty you got goin' on."

  "Are you high?"

  "Come on, chic's like a little dirty."

  Shaking my head at him, I laughed.

  "Tansy, let me do her."

  "The hell, Palmer?" Tansy growled, grabbed a coaster off the table and threw it at him.

  Ducking down, trying to dodge it, he fussed, "Forgot it was a secret, alright? Damn."

  It took me a minute to bite back my irritation and realize they were still talking about tattoos.

  Joie started talking about the drum kit she got from her dad as a graduation present but I wasn't listening. All my attention was focused on Tansy and wondering what she got and where he put it.

  Chapter Two

  Dinner with the family was the usual; loud and delicious. After everyone ate to their fill and said what they had to say, mom, dad, and Wren left to open the bar while we headed out to the crossway.

  Pasture parties can be a lot of fun. Live music, the outdoors, coon dog punch and a keg or two. That's what high school memories are made of. At least, mine were. I highly recommend hitting up at least one before you graduate because once you're over twenty-one and home from college, everyone seems really young, and annoying.

  As soon as we got there, Roe and I met up with Palmer to help unload his van.

  Everything was almost set up when we heard Palmer shout, "No, hell no."

  Tansy had a 'someone's in trouble' expression on her face as she stepped to the side.

  "You can't tell me no!" Joie hollered back at him as she stood there wearing a sheer black tank top that revealed a sexy hot pink bra underneath.

  "Let her wear it, she looks hot," Roe said, coming to her defense.

  "Shut up, r-r-r-Roe!" Palmer spouted at him.

  Grabbing the front of his pants with his hand, Roe calmly replied, "That's how Joie sounds when I'm givin' it to her."

  Anyone with any kind of sense would have run after that. The last guy that made a lewd comment about Joie still walks with a limp. By the same token, reminding a six foot four, three hundred and fifty pound linebacker with dark hair and cold green eyes about his childhood speech impediment wasn't bright either.

  The two glared at each other as Joie blurted, "You wish," and shot Roe the finger.

  A slow smile formed on Roe's face right before he blew her a kiss.

  "A death wish," Palmer mumbled before pulling his shirt off over his head and tossing it at Joie. "Put it on or you're not playing."

  Joie stomped off around the side of the van with Tansy right behind her, just as the rest of the band showed up.

  The music was loud and I was on my fifth cup of beer when Tansy walked over to where I was standing.

  "You okay?" she questioned with a curious smile.

  Shrugging my shoulder at her, I answered, "I'm kind of over all this."

  Nodding at me, she laughed, "You look lost."

  I didn't feel lost but I couldn't help feeling like I didn't belong there.

  "Wanna go for a walk?"

  Without waiting for me to answer, she walked past me like she already knew I would follow.

  About a half a mile away from the party, I noticed a thoughtful expression on her face.

  "So," she stated, stopping to look up at me.

  Damn, she's beautiful.

  "So," I repeated, half wanting to smile at her and half wishing we weren't in the middle of a pasture.

  With a deep breath, she tucked her hair behind her ear.

  "I'd rather not be the elephant."

  "Are you drunk?" I asked making a face at her that made her laugh and push her hands against my chest.

  Her hands didn't move me, but they moved me, if that makes any kind of sense. I don't kn
ow. I'm not a big drinker and I'd already had five beers.

  "I'm talking about the one in the room."

  Maybe I'm drunk...

  "I don't want to be what everyone is thinking about but won't say."

  "Oh, yea... I get it."

  With a soft smile, she nodded. "What we did was..."

  My pulse started to race and I couldn't let her say it out loud.

  "No, I get it."

  "First..."

  Hearing her say my name was as painful as it was amazing to hear.

  "My dad made me go to therapy."

  Guilt settled in as I recalled how bad it was for her once everyone found out. "Tansy, I'm so sorry."

  Shaking her head at me, she assured, "There's nothing for you to be sorry for."

  I wanted to believe her.

  "I actually enjoyed going after a while."

  "You did?"

  "Yea, I did. I learned a lot about myself."

  "Like what?"

  "Just different things. I was angry with my mom but I didn't realize how much because I was so happy when I was with y'all. I was really hurt too because I thought my dad didn't love me, and I thought that was why he left me down here."

  I found myself hanging on her every word, needing to know everything so I could know her better.

  "And that I don't need to prove I'm worth loving."

  I should definitely not be thinking about kissing her right now.

  "I'm glad I grew up with your family, and I'm thankful for Grandma and Grandpa being there when my mom wasn't, but I'm also glad I left because I got to know my dad too and he's pretty amazing."

  As I listened to what she was saying, it occurred to me, that night in the summer that we were fifteen didn't have the same impact on her as it did me.

  "I missed this place though, I missed my family."

  And me? Tell me you missed me.

  "First, I'd really like for us to be friends."

  "Sure. Of course. Sounds great."

  "Good, 'cause there's a lot of summer to enjoy before you go back."